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By Ngozi Nwoke
Members of the Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association (LSMDA) have congratulated the past executive for their remarkable achievements towards the sustainable development of the association during their tenure.
The election which was held in Lagos, had in attendance all members of the association who urged the newly elected executive to uphold the tenacious input and record of the past executive, tasking them to be magnanimous in carrying out their obligations.
President of the association, Alphonsus Okoroji, who was re-elected for the second time, thanked the members for trusting his competence and re-electing him.
He assured members of his unwavering commitment and team work with other newly executive members to ensure adequate infrastructure development, transparency and efficiency in his administration.
He said: “The re-election of my position as the president is evident that the members are satisfied with my previous performance and desire me to continue. But I assure them that this is a call to more service. We are to serve for another four years. We have been mandated to perform in excellence, transparency, truthfulness and hard work. It is a call for me and my executives to do more and not relent in discharging our duties. The election was free, fair and credible. It was conducted peacefully with understanding. If it wasn’t conducted free and fair, you would see people contesting against it.
“The first action plan of my mandate is to establish a permanent secretariat for the association that will accommodate all medicine dealers in Lagos State. We have been paying a high cost to rent a hall for our outdoor meetings and it’s been exorbitant on our financial state. We pay as much as N1.5 million or N2 million just to rent a hall. When we have our own mega secretariat that will contain all members of the association, it will go a long way to cushion the cost of expenses. We also intend to put it up for rental in order to generate money for the association. So, we have taken it as the first mandatory task to carry out with immediate effect.”
The new secretary of the association, Mr. Hope Ezenwoke, expressed determination to serve, urging other executive members to ensure the confidence of the members is not shattered.
He noted: “First, I thank God for the privilege to serve the association for the second time. I am delighted as the re-election has made me feel more responsible to the association. The association is a reputable one that has existed over 40 years and by its standards, we look forward to rendering a vision-oriented leadership by creating more awareness, more enlightenment programmes and advocacy for our members, resolving their challenges. To the best of my knowledge, this is the most credible election we have had in the history of the association. All the executives were elected unopposed because of credibility, accountability and competence considering what we have done for the past four years. I thank all the members for their trust in us and promise we will not disappoint them.”
Mrs. Catherine Micheal Ubani, the newly elected public relations officer, assured she would bring in doggedness in the discharge of her duties.
She stated: “I feel fulfilled being elected for this position as the spokesperson of this dignified association. I contested for the position of the vice president but lost. So this victory is greatly appreciated. This has given me the opportunity to serve the association to the best of my ability. As the image maker of the association, it is my responsibility to protect the name and uphold the dignity of the association.
We have a lot to do. We will continue on the education and creating awareness of our guidelines. Our operations are regulated by laws and it is our duty as executives to enforce the implementation of these laws by the members. Most mementos have been in the medicine trade for many years but they are not well informed on the pros and cons of the association. So, this is where I will carry out my duty as the informer of the association.”
Treasurer of the association, Abu Chukwuemeka, remarked: “I feel glad to be re-elected to serve for another four years after the previous one in the same position as the treasurer. Today’s induction shows the confidence the people have in my capacity to add value to the association. I will consolidate on my experience for the last four years. The consolidation will enable me streamline my current plan for our finances and be more accountable and enhance my dealings. Nothing will go amiss by God’s grace. We are impressed that the election was free and fair. Every member willing to contest for a position was given the opportunity to pick a form. And we all supported them based on their credible information.”
